Leading the pack
by Ravenna Vitalia
Summary: Willow is the younger sister of the Johto champion, Lance. After an incident when she was younger her Pokemon journey was delayed until she turned 16. Deciding to start in a new region away from her worrying brother, Willow heads to Sinnoh to experience the Pokemon journey she's been waiting for along with starting to assemble her team. Abandoned.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I don't own Pokemon; any characters in this story that are recognisable/affiliated with the Pokemon franchise are not in any way my property.**

Chapter One

The champion of Johto, Lance the dragon master stood in front of Professor Rowan's lab in Sandgem town in the region of Sinnoh. Two of his dragons stood slightly behind him, his main Pokemon Dragonite and a slightly smaller but no less impressive Charizard. The reason for the champion of a different region being there wasn't to fulfil his duties as champion, but to fulfil his duties of an elder brother.

"Are you sure you're ready Willow? You don't have to start in Sinnoh you know, you could always come back home and work towards challenging me." Lance asked, worried for his younger sister. The younger girl rolled her eyes, the colour a reflection of his and looked away, her long pink hair swaying in the slight breeze.

"I'll be fine."

Lance sighed. He knew he should be lucky; he was able to delay her departure for a few years after the incident but knew he no longer had any reason to delay her. But, at least he knew she'd probably be safer than most kids starting out, mainly because she wasn't a kid anymore. At 16 she'd be older than most kid's starting their first Pokemon journey and thankfully shouldn't fall prey to rookie mistakes that lead to the leading majority of Pokemon related deaths.

"Are you sure you don't wanna borrow Charizard until you get a bit more comfortable with your new Pokemon? It'd make me feel a lot better knowing you'd be safe."

In response the large orange dragon huffed, placing a hand on the young pink haired girls shoulder, curling his tail around her slightly with almost a pleading look in his eye. Even the dragon didn't want to see her leave, and he knew his feelings were echoed in Dragonite who was looking at the girl from the corner of his eye.

"I'll be fine, I have Levi." The girl reiterated, her hand moving to pet the small blue jackal Pokemon in her arms.

Once again Lance sighed; he wished she would take Charizard but at least she'd have her Riolu. At least he knew she'd be well taken care of with that Riolu around, despite him being relatively weak at only level 10, Lance knew the Pokemon would do everything in its power to keep his sister safe. The sound of a door opening caused the siblings to turn towards the sound, a fact that had the professor stifling a laugh at the identical fierce looks on their faces at being interrupted.

"Lance, it's good to see you. I assume this is your sister you contacted me about. Good morning Willow."

"Good morning Professor Rowan." The girl responded, a blank look taking over her otherwise pretty face. A shame the professor thought, if only she'd show some emotion she'd look a lot better.

Professor Rowan was an intimidating man in the flesh, tall with shockingly white hair, and dark eyes under thick white eyebrows and a stern expression on his face. Despite this, Lance knew the man to be a kind and patient and was glad that he was the professor who would be looking after his sister on her journey, rather him than the scatter brained Elm.

"Well come on in and we'll sort you out with a Pokemon Willow."

Having said his piece, the professor turned around and entered his lab, walking towards a table where three pokeballs rested, a symbol for grass, water and fire in front of their respective balls. Turning to the sibling duo behind him, he gestured towards the pokeballs before releasing each Pokemon.

"Inside of these pokeballs are the three started Pokemon for this region. The Water type Piplup, the Grass type Turtwig and finally the fire type Chimchar. Each have their advantages and disadvantages but all are astounding Pokemon that have been bred to the finest quality here in this lab. Any of them would be a fine first Pokemon. Well second in your case." The professor recited the starter Pokemon spiel, amending his statement slightly upon the growl from the girls Riolu.

"No offense professor Rowan but I'd like to decline your offer of a starter Pokemon."

The professor in question looked hard at the young girl, his eyebrows furrowing making his stern expression seem even fiercer.

"And why is that might I ask?" Professor Rowan inquired; interested to hear why the girl would decline a Pokemon that many children would beg to receive.

"Well I already have Levi," the Riolu in her arms yipped in response, wagging its tail slightly in pleasure. "And I want to have a team that is aware of their predatory instincts and is able to use them. Something that lab Pokemon, who haven't grown up in the wild, won't be aware of."

Lance once again sighed, knowing that such an action was going to become common place when hearing about his sisters plans. And she wonders why he worries, how could he not when she's decided her Pokemon team's main strength is going to consist of Pokemon considered predators. Maybe it was a good thing she said she'd stay away from Dragon Pokemon, claiming it was his expertise and she wanted her own. This was at least an area of relief for Lance, as he wasn't sure his heart would be able to cope with his sister being surrounded by a legion of fierce Dragons.

"Is that so? If that's the case I'm unsure how that Riolu of yours will fit into your team or even serve as a capable protector until it evolves." The professor replied sceptically, looking at the quickly angering Riolu in confusion.

"He might not have been born in the wild, but he has grown up surrounded by dragons, so I wouldn't count him out just yet." The girl responded, patting the head of her Pokemon consolingly as it snarled towards the professor baring its canines in anger, a fierce look in its eye at being challenged over its ability to protect his master.

"Hmmm well I might just have something for you if you're set on not receiving a starter, wait here." The professor nodded to himself, a frown on his face almost if asking himself if it was a good idea before moving into a room hidden from view behind a bookcase, scanning a card before entering.

Willow sighed, looking towards her brother who was looking towards the ground with a worried look on his face. Rolling her eyes she bumped him with her hip lightly causing him to look up.

"You don't have to be so worried, I can take care of myself, and it's not like Levi hasn't protected me before."

"I know that, but it's still hard not to worry. I know you're older now than most trainers with a better bond with your first Pokemon than many start off with but it's still a big thing for you to leave me." The elder sibling sighed, looking away with a slight blush on his face, embarrassed at the shocked look on his sisters face at his emotional confession, something which was out of the ordinary for the normally fierce dragon master.

"I'm only a phone call away, and if I have a psychic type Pokemon that knows teleport I'll come visit you." Willow placated, reaching out to hold her brothers hand, an action that she did regularly as a child.

Lance looked at his sister then, trying to look past his view of her as a younger sister who needed to be protected and really tried to see her. She'd grown up a lot these past 3 years, and although she was still young compared to him, he'd say at times she was even more mature than he was himself. That didn't mean that she still wasn't playful or even immature, the escapades that included her and their cousin Claire were enough to prove that, but she no longer had the innocence of childhood that he wished she could've still retained even after the incident. He was relieved the know that she'd have Levi by her side, knowing that once evolved she'd have a strong friend to keep her safe, although he knew that even now the Riolu would try his hardest to keep his master safe. The beeping and opening of a door once again gained the attention of the two siblings and Riolu. The Pokemon professor walked back into view, an egg nestled in an incubator in his arms. The egg itself was light brown in colour, with orange ovals surrounding the top just under a large white patch covering the top.

"I'm going to entrust you with this egg if you'll agree to carry it, a Pokemon egg must be carried by a trainer with Pokemon in their party for it to hatch. I think you're the right candidate for this Pokemon due to your mind set towards Pokemon…along with your age as I can't really entrust this to a 10 year old." The professor trailed off, looking a bit sheepish at the last part of his explanation, the expression looking odd on his normally stoic visage.

"I've never seen an egg like this in Johto professor," Lance stated uneasily, looking towards the larger than normal egg.

"It was sent to me by an associate from the Kalos region; it was originally fossilised next to a fossil of a recently discovered Pokemon, and they seem to think this is an egg belonging to that Pokemon. Thankfully due to recent developments in the restoration of fossils and such, they were able to return this egg to life and as such want to know more about this Pokémon's evolution. However I no longer have the time or energy to travel Sinnoh anymore so I am unable to meet the conditions to hatch this Pokemon so I'm willing to entrust it to you." The professor responded, looking towards the girl who was looking at the egg with furrowed brows.

"I'll accept, however once it's hatched, I'm not giving it back. It'll stay on as a permanent member of my team." Willow declared, looking to the professor, daring him to refuse when she knew he had little choice if he was to fulfil his task of studying this Pokemon.

"That's fine Willow, however in return I wish for you to take a Pokedex and record the information of the Pokemon you meet including the one inside the egg once it hatches. It'll also help you in understanding the Pokemon you catch as it'll list the attributes and moves your Pokemon have learnt."

"That's fine, I agree to those terms." Willow responded, placing her Riolu onto the ground before stepping forward to take the incubator off the professor, testing the weight in her arms before stepping back.

The professor then turned away once more to head towards his desk, shuffling papers before finding a dark grey Pokedex and handed it to the girl, who placed it in the hidden pocket of her dress.

"I assume the compulsory demonstration of how to catch Pokemon is not needed?" Rowan inquired, nodding when receiving a positive reply from the girl. "If that's all, please pass me your Pokegear so I can register my number and we can keep in touch and you may be on your way."

Upon doing so, the professor lead the young girl, and her brother the door, saying a quick farewell before turning back into the building and walking over to one of his aides. Lance led his sister back towards his two resting dragons that looked up upon their approach, and turned towards their master in wait.

"Well I guess its official then. Have fun on your journey; make sure to ring me if you get into any trouble, and… I'll miss you." Lance stated, blushing slightly at the rare display of emotion he was showing, looking away from the similar blush on his sisters cheeks.

"Have a safe journey home, I'll miss you too."

In an abrupt movement Lance strode towards his sister before pulling her in for a tight hug, squeezing her slightly, before feeling a slight pressure on his leg, looking down to see Levi looking up at him. Lance stepped away before crouching down in front of the small blue jackal, placing a hand on his head.

"Make sure you take good care of her, I trust you." Lance stated, rubbing the Pokemon slightly after receiving an affirmative bark.

Nodding his head, Lance quickly turned towards his dragons seemingly overcome with emotion, recalling Charizard before hopping onto Dragonite's back. With a quick wave, Lance patted the side of his dragon's neck that on his signal hopped into the air before taking off, heading back towards Johto.

Willow sighed looking down at the blue jackal stood against her leg, before looking down at the egg in her arms.

"Well we might as well get a move on if we want to get to Jubilife City before night time, although I should probably go get some provisions for the journey." Willow muttered to herself, nodding absently before turning around and heading towards the blue roofed building that trainers knew to recognise as the Pokemart.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I don't own Pokemon; any characters in this story that are recognisable/affiliated with the Pokemon franchise are not in any way my property.**

Walking into the air conditioned Pokemart, Willow headed towards the back of the store where a display of Pokefood was located, looking at the different kinds on offer before looking down at Riolu.

"I'm not sure what kind to get, I know what you like but I'm going to try and get another member for our team before we get to Jubilife so we should get something plain as a filler." Willow mused, looking at her Pokemon before turning back to the kibble.

"Riolu lu" Riolu barked, pointing at the basic mixer kibble that contained a mixture of dried Oran berries, Lepa berries and ground nuts.

"Good choice, but what about meat?" Both Pokemon and trainer looked sceptically towards the prepacked meat, before shuddering and shaking their heads.

"Lu!" Levi replied, snapping his jaws together.

Willow snorted, patting her Pokémon's head trying to imagine the baby Pokemon being able to take anything down at his current level.

"Charizard isn't here to catch them for you anymore you know" Willow responded, smirking at the blush that took over Levi's face, the pink a stark colour against the cobalt blue. Levi huffed, before snatching the box of kibble they decided on and marching away, his tail twitching in embarrassment at his master's muffled laugh.

Ignoring her Pokemon for the moment, Willow took out the Pokedex and checked the Pokemon available to catch in the area. Upon spotting the low level native bird Pokemon, Starly and the electric type Pokemon readily available to be caught, Willow sighed in relief at figuring out how to feed herself and her future Pokemon easily without having to rely on the pre-packaged goods. A paw on her leg attracted her attention away from the Pokedex, and a sigh escaped her upon looking down at her partner who held a bar of chocolate nearly the size of him in his paws, a pleading look on his face.

"Fine, but you can share it with our new partner later on."

A happy yip was the answer she received, before she moved over to the range of bags on offer, grabbing a top of the line Castform Industries back pack, which advertised to be impervious against all weathers and Pokemon attacks, luckily it was also large enough to place her egg inside, a fact Willow was glad about as she liked to keep her hands free. Willow quickly made her way around the shop once the main reason for her visit was sorted, grabbing a Pokeball belt and balls, a plethora of potions and status healing berries, and a few cans of repel before heading towards the checkout.

"Is there anything else I can help you with today?" The perky saleswoman asked, watching the younger girl pack her bag with the recently purchased items, flashing a quick smile.

"Yes, I noticed you don't sell any sleeping bags or tents?" Willow inquired, sending a stern look towards the Riolu who was slowly creeping towards the chocolate display.

"We don't stock them in such small towns as Sandgem, mainly because the journey towards Jubilife is short enough to complete in a matter of hours. However, the Jubilife branch of Pokemart will definitely have them in stock."

Willow hummed slightly in response, before thanking the woman and walking out of the store, Levi hurrying after her. Willow looked up at the sky, sighing when seeing the color beginning to darken, despite this the duo continued to head towards route 202.

* * *

A grassy field that spread into the distance laid in front of her, encompassed by tall trees on both sides and the slight outline of tall structures in the distance. Upon spotting the taller grass that was spread sporadically Levi moved in front of his trainer, positioning her behind him, a move that might've looked humorous to those watching the baby Pokemon, although Willow knew him to be a capable protector no matter his size. Bending down next to her Pokemon, Willow once again took out her Pokedex and brought up the information regarding the electric type Pokemon, Shinx and showed the picture to the Pokemon at her side.

"We need to find one of these it's an electric type, they're readily available on this route but you know what I'm looking for."

Levi barked in response before closing his eyes with a focused look on his face, an iridescent sheen taking over his small body as he set his mind to the task of finding the aura of an electric type Pokemon, feeling the slightly static presence pop up in multiple places around him before settling on a particular presence a mile away. Despite how many times Willow had witnessed her partner use his ability to sense another's aura, she was still enraptured by it, and the power that emanated from his small figure seeming to indicate just how strong of a partner she'd have upon his evolution. The black extensions either side of his head wiggled slightly, before his eyes snapped open and a bark escaped his maw. Turning towards the tall trees that enclosed the route, Levi trotted towards the shadows, looking back to make sure his master was following before continuing forwards. Together the duo entered the shadows of the trees, walking for nearly an half an hour, stopping intermittently for Levi to re-evaluate where their target was, before stopping just outside of a clearing, hidden in the shadows.

In the filtered sunlight that creeped down through the branches stood a small blue quadruped Pokemon, obviously feline in its visage. It was stood watching a small brown bird Pokemon on a branch high above it, the feral gleam associated with a hunt in its eyes as it stalked slowly towards the tree where the bird rested, its underbelly grazing the floor in a crouch. Willow turned to her partner, a look of fierce wanting in her eye as she pointed towards the Shinx, who was still currently distracted with the prospect of food.

"Levi, it can't be too high level for this area, use quick attack to throw it into the tree it's heading towards." Willow commanded, flexing her hands slightly in anticipation at adding a new member to her team.

Levi dashed towards the Shinx a white streak appearing behind it, closing in on the unsuspecting Pokemon, slamming it head first into the tree, sending the bird Pokemon fleeing with a squawk. Darting away from the enraged feline, Levi moved in front of his master who had emerged from the shadows, sweat dropping slightly at the animated look on her normally stoic face. A hiss brought his attention back to the Shinx, who stood up wobbling slightly before setting his gaze upon Levi, a blue gleam beginning to take over its mouth.

"Don't let it try anything Levi! Quick attack and restrain!" Willow shouted, a grin taking over her face.

Levi yipped, speeding towards the Shinx faster than it could anticipate before pinning it to the ground a paw against the back of its neck, using his advantage of height and weight against the smaller Pokemon. Upon realising it was pinned the Shinx yowled and spat, lashing out with it hind legs trying to score a hit on the larger Pokemon, its fur beginning to shine. Growling Levi slammed the feline's head against the ground, the light fading away as it mewled pitifully knowing it was caught, a feral look remaining in its eye. A gleeful chuckled caught the ears of both Pokemon, attracting their attention as Willow came towards them, a Pokeball in her hand. Kneeling down in front of the two Pokemon, she patted Levi's head, receiving a pleased growl in return, although he didn't let up the pressure on the feline Pokemon in its grasp.

"I guess you just weren't strong enough little kitty," Willow chuckled, reaching towards the scowling head of the feline, snatching her hand away from its face as it snapped towards her. Smiling, she called Levi off as he lifted the Shinx's head up again, getting ready to slam it to the ground once more. "I like that the fight still hasn't left you, despite your dismal situation. But that fight means nothing without the power to back it up. Join me and become stronger."

The Shinx looked at the human in front of it, she didn't look like much, older than most of the humans he saw in this area, but not taller or physically stronger, although he could tell that by joining her he'd become stronger, if the Riolu's power was representative of her as a master. Hearing a growl the feline looked up, meeting the narrowed eyes of the Pokemon that held him to the ground. Looking away from the jackal, the Shinx hissed an affirmative and looked away as the Pokeball tapped his forehead before he was enveloped in a beam of red light. Levi sweat dropped at the uncharacteristic squeal that came from his master, who now held the ball above her head as if it were a prize.

"Nice job Levi!" Willow praised, receiving a happy bark in return. "Let's see what our new partner is like."

The Shinx reappeared in flash of red light, and looked up at his new master. She once again kneeled in front of him, and reached towards his head slowly, this time reaching the destination instead of being stopped by his sharp fangs. A pleased rumble escaped the Shinx as his master rubbed behind his ears, blushing as he leant into her hand.

"Aww, see it's not so bad." Willow chucked, sending a wink to Levi who stood looking at the Shinx in jealousy. Willow took out the Pokedex, scanning the blue feline. "Hmm you're level 4, so you'll need quite a bit of training before we even consider moving out of this area. And you only know tackle and ice fang?" Willow looked at the Shinx in astonishment, whilst the feline looked back smugly.

"Shin Shinx" The Shinx hummed, smirking at the jackal next to his master, who narrowed his eyes in response.

"Hmmm, it must be one of those egg moves; it's unlikely you've had a trainer. Ah, but don't get cocky, Levi could beat you easily even with your fancy move." Willow chuckled, looking between her two Pokemon who stood scowling at each other. Rolling her eyes Willow stood up, and backed away from the two Pokemon who looked at her in confusion. "Right let's solve this now, I'm not having animosity in this team. Levi feel free to go all out, Shinx you too."

With that Willow walked away from the two Pokemon, and sat at the edge of the clearing, taking the egg out of her backpack and beginning to rub it with a soft cloth she found inside the incubator. The two Pokemon looked at their master, then back to each other, snarls taking over their faces. Making the first move, Shinx ran towards the Riolu, the blue gleam once again taking over his mouth. Levi rolled his eyes, dodging the bite aimed at his face and placed a palm on the back of the felines neck, once again slamming its face towards the floor. The comical look of shock on the Shinx's face almost made the Riolu laugh, but instead he lowered his face to place his teeth against the feline's neck, holding it there until it stopped struggling and mewled in submission. Levi backed off, moving to stand next to his master as the Shinx lay there in defeat, a sad look on its face.

"You did well, he needed to learn that not only is there an order in this team, he'll unable to win just by having a powerful move, he'll need the power and tactics to back it up." Willow stated, rubbing her partners head as she stared at the Shinx who was sullenly walking over to them. "Don't be so down, Levi's at a much higher level than you it was to be expected. You did well also." Willow offered, scratching under the chin of her new Pokemon, smiling at the pleased purrs escaping it.

Willow looked up and tried to catch a glimpse of the sky between the branches, the first signs of twilight taking place in the heavens, a soft purple haze forming behind the puffy clouds. Placing her egg back into her bag, Willow turned back to her Pokemon, smiling softly at the sight of Levi gesturing wildly to the Shinx who looked on in rapture, a happy gleam replacing the sadness that previously occupied his eyes. Turning her back to the two, Willow began walking back in the direction she remembered route 202 to be in, hearing her Pokemon scramble to keep up, Levi quickly taking his place in front of his master, whilst the Shinx stood close to her legs.

"You need a nickname; I can't just keep calling you Shinx. You need to be easily distinguished from any wild Shinx and captured ones." Willow mused, looking at the small electric feline next to her, who stared back in anticipation. "How about Raiden, it means God of thunder? A name that you'll obviously need to grow into. " Willow questioned, smirking at the affirmative hiss from the feline who whipped his tail in pleasure.

The trio continued to walk through the forest in silence, the journey thankfully taking less time than previously as there was no need to stop and recalibrate their direction. The familiar Route 202 greeted Willow in the form of a female trainer running up towards her, stopping a few paces away holding a Pokeball in her hand.

"You're a trainer right? Battle me!" The lass commanded, her red skirt ruffling in the slight breeze, drawing attention to the two pokeballs placed on her belt.

"Sure, but can we make it a double battle? I want to get to Jubilife before midnight." Willow explained, and upon receiving an affirmative response from the lass, backed up a few paces and gestured for her Pokemon to get ready.

"Bidoof, Starly come on out!" The lass shouted, throwing her two pokeballs to reveal a brown bird and a small rodent Pokemon. "Bidoof, Starly use tackle!"

"Let's make this quick, Levi quick attack on the Bidoof, Raiden wait for the right time and then special attack." Willow commanded quickly, a bored look on her face at the battle she knew Levi could win on his own, let alone with Raiden helping him.

Levi quickly intercepted the rodent's attempt at a tackle, slamming into its smaller body and sending it flying, huffing in pleasure at the sight of its spiralled eyes. Turning to his team mate, Levi watched as the Shinx waited patiently for the Starly to come closer, his form low to the ground in a waiting crouch as a blue gleam built up in his mouth. A few centimetres from impact, Shinx pounced at the Starly who released a pained screech at the iced fangs clamping down on his throat, flailing once before fainting.

"Good job boys," Willow praised, flashing a smile at her Pokemon who roared in pleasure. Willow walked over to the shocked lass, who had returned both her Pokemon after their defeat. "I'm glad you were our first battle, it was a good experience for my Pokemon. Here take these it'll help your Pokemon until you can get them to a Pokecentre." Reaching in her bag Willow grabbed two Oran berries, placing them in the glum lasses hand before walking away, her two Pokemon scrambling to take their places next to her.

Arriving in Jubilife just before midnight was a relief to both Willow and her team, it had taken three hours to reach the city of joy, and Willow swore if she saw another Bidoof or Starly she'd strangle it. Despite the frustration at the lack of variety in the wild life, the endeavour hadn't been without its advantages as now Shinx had levelled up to a respectable level 10, whilst Levi was now level 15 and very pleased at the addition of the new move force palm to his arsenal. Having already checked the directions to the Pokecentre, the tired trio trudged onwards, looking forward to the soft beds and warm food for weary trainers that the centre offered. The electronic hum of the automatic doors opening was loud in the quiet of the night, quickly attracting the attention of the tired nurse at the front desk.

"Welcome to the Pokecentre, do your Pokemon need healing or do you require lodging for the night?" Nurse Joy asked, flashing a genuine smile despite her obvious tiredness.

"Just a room please, and is there any food still available?" Willow asked, staring at her Pokémon's swollen bellies from the corner of her eye, not everyone could eat raw Starly meat.

"We usually supply sandwiches for late night trainers; they're located in the cafeteria down this hallway." The nurse replied, pointing to a closed door down a hallway. "You'll be staying in room 176, which is up the stairs and on the left hand side. Please enjoy your stay."

Taking her key, Willow headed towards the cafeteria, and grabbed some food before heading up to her room, closing the door behind her Pokemon as they darted towards the bed, flopping down in relief. Placing her bag on the floor, Willow took out her egg, rubbing the shell softly, smiling upon feeling its comforting warmth, it wouldn't hatch for a while yet, but she could tell that it'd be powerful once it did. Setting the incubator on the table next to the bed, Willow toed off her shoes before sitting cross legged next to her dozing Pokemon on the bed, and began to eat the sandwich, the turkey, lettuce and tomato settling heavily into her empty stomach. Having finished her sandwich, Willow headed into the bathroom for a quick shower, before settling down next to her Pokemon, setting an alarm on her Pokegear for 8am, before quickly falling asleep.

* * *

The next morning found Willow aimlessly wandering around Jubilife, she'd already completed her task of obtaining a sleeping bag for her journey and had already visited the trainer's school, and found it not to be much help as the information was rudimentary at best; she was stuck on what to do. Levi, stood next to his masters side, staying close her and snarling at anyone who got to close, baring his teeth.

"Whoa I've never seen that Pokemon before!" a young boy with messy black hair under a red cap ran up to Willow, a Pikachu on his shoulder and stopped before getting too close, having taken notice of the sharp look in the jackal Pokémon's eye. He was slightly taller than Willow, however obviously younger due to the roundness of his cheeks, clad in jeans and a white t-shirt under a black vest. Two other people followed behind him, a blue haired younger girl obviously a new trainer holding a blue penguin Pokemon Willow recognised as Piplup, and an older man with darker skin and spiky brown hair.

"It's a Riolu; they're native to Sinnoh, although this particular one was raised in Johto." Willow informed, a blank look on her face in contrast to the boys excited one.

"My names Ash, have a battle with me?" Ash demanded, grabbing a Pokeball of his belt, a grin taking over his face.

Willow nodded absently, gesturing for the trio to follow her to the Pokecentre, preferring not to battle in the middle of the streets. Upon reaching the Pokecentre, Willow, Ash and his friends heading around the back, to the match field placed on the ground for trainers to use for training or battles. The man who had introduced himself as Brock on the walk over, took on the role of referee, standing half way in-between the two trainers, whilst Dawn sat down next to him.

"This will be a one on one battle; the winner will be decided by the Pokemon still standing." Brock declared, looking at both trainers and receiving a nod from each before continuing. "Begin!"

"Starly, I choose you!" Ash shouted, revealing the familiar brown bird Pokemon, who cried its name upon release before taking to the sky. Willow sighed upon seeing the Pokemon, remembering her thoughts from the night before, and released Raiden who settled down next to her leg, taking on the role of protector upon seeing the unfamiliar faces near its master.

"Levi, show no mercy." Willow demanded, her partner darting from her side and onto the battle field, glaring up at the Starly flying above it, mirroring his masters emotions towards the bird Pokemon.

"Starly, quick attack!" Ash ordered, his Pokemon doing a quick circle to gather speed before rocketing down towards the jackal Pokemon.

"Levi, take the hit."

Dawn gasped on the side lines, glaring at the other female as the Riolu was thrown backwards, having obeyed its master's orders. How cruel of that trainer to purposely let her Pokemon get hit by a super effective move Dawn thought, watching the blue jackal get back up on its feet.

"Let's use quick attack to finish it off Starly!" Ash shouted, a smile taking over his face at the thought of a win after losing so badly to Paul a few days ago. Once again the bird began it's decent to the stationary Riolu, cawing as it left silver streaks behind it due to its velocity.

"Levi, Counter palm." Willow ordered smiling as an iridescent sheen took over her Pokemon as the Starly crashed into it, staying put as the move pushed the bird Pokemon backwards. Levi quickly dashed towards the grounded bird Pokemon, placing its paw on the opponent's forehead with a smirk before a huge blast of light exploded from his paw, sending the avian to land back in front of its master in a cloud of dust.

Ash, Brock and Dawn stared at the trainer and Pokemon in front of them, gaping at the power the Riolu possessed and the strategy employed against Ash's Pokemon. Not only had Willow found a way to ground the flying Pokemon, the swiftness of her Riolu left no time for Ash to have called out a counter to her command. The dust cleared, and Starly was shown to be in a slight crater in the floor, swirls overtaking its eyes.

"The winner is Willow, and her Pokemon Levi!" Brock declared, coming out of his stupor upon seeing the fainted Pokemon.

Levi yipped in pleasure, rushing back to his master who greeted him with a smile and a head pat, and his team mate who nudged him with his tail in approval. Looking back up at the trio of friends who had moved closer to stand a few steps away, Willow's face began to return to its normal blank state, as her Pokemon began to converse with the trios.

"That was amazing! I really thought I was about to win before you used that combo move!" Ash stated, smiling and moving closer towards the girl, but stopped abruptly as Levi darted between the boy and his master, his palm glowing threateningly. Frowning at the aggressive move from the Pokemon, Ash looked towards Willow a questioning look on his face.

"I don't like people close to me." Willow stated emotionlessly, gesturing for Raiden to halt his hissing from his place next to her. Levi backed towards his master, moving closer to her as the light in his palm died down to nothingness.

Ash nodded awkwardly in reply, rubbing the back of his head before smiling.

"No worries I'll make sure to keep my distance," Ash smiled easily back at the girl, receiving a slight one in reply.

"Your Starly is fast," Willow complimented, earning a surprised look from the previously glaring girl staring at her from over Ash's shoulder. "When it evolves, you can enhance its speed by having it carry other Pokemon on its back during training. The extra load will increase the muscles in its wings, therefore making them stronger."

Ash stared back at the female in front of him in shock at her idea, the idea not having crossed his mind before now. A wide grin took over his face at the helpful proposal, thanking the girl for the tip. The trio of friends watched as the girl nodded and walked away from them, her Pokemon following closely, blinking in shock as her Pokemon looked back to glare at Ash before turning the corner and disappearing from sight.

 **AN: Any move sets the Pokemon in this story are based on the moves those Pokemon can learn as of Gen VI as this will make it easier to fit in any potential sequels or out of region Pokemon. Willow might seem a bit more competent than a beginner trainer normally is, but that's accountable to her age and the fact she's lived with a champion all her life. Also, any ages of characters in the story will not be canon as it annoys me that as has been 10 despite having travelled to six regions now. I'm assuming that it'd take on average a year to travel a region and have sufficiently trained Pokemon to challenge the elite four, so that makes Ash 14, Brock is 19, whilst Dawn is 10 as she has only just started out.**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: I don't own Pokemon; any characters in this story that are recognisable/affiliated with the Pokemon franchise are not in any way my property.**

Having arrived at route 203 with her Pokemon, and noticing the abundance of Starly and Bidoof, Willow quickly decided to power through the route as quickly as possible. Despite this, the inevitable trainer and the occasional Pokemon battle were occurred, though neither Willow nor her Pokemon were too upset about the additional levels gained and a new move for Raiden. Upon reaching the Oreburgh Gate, a small cave designed to serve as a quicker route for trainers travelling to Oreburgh city from Jubilife, Willow decided to let her Pokemon rest for a few moments as she checked her Pokedex for information on the Oreburgh Gym Leader, Roark.

"Hmm, a rock type gym leader, uses three Pokemon although it doesn't specific which." Willow mused to herself, staring upwards at the small group of Zubat resting high above her on the caves ceiling. Narrowing her eyes at the unsuspecting bat Pokemon above her, before looking at Raiden, Willow nodded her head. "Levi, Raiden it's time to do some training. Levi, use force palm on that rock to wake up those bats. Raiden, use charge and then wait until they get close enough and use spark."

Raiden looked up at the 20 strong pack of Zubat's above him, taking a deep breath as bright yellow sparks began to form around his body, the tendrils snapping around him dangerously. Levi backed up in front of his master as his team mate focused his power, keeping a wary eye on the Zubat's above them, his paw beginning to glow softly in preparation, as he placed it on a nearby rock. As the tendrils around Raiden turned blue, Levi released the power that had built up in his palm, a loud crack echoing in the silent cave as the rock exploded, causing the Zubat's to screech as they awoke. The heavy sound of screeches and flapping wings filled the cave as the Zubat's swept down towards the trio, set on gaining revenge for their slumber being disturbed. Raiden concentrated on storing as much power as he could, his ears tracking how close the Zubat's were to impact. As the bats enclosed on them, Raiden jumped up and tackled the leading Zubat, releasing a bright flash of blue electricity that spread to encompass the surrounding Zubat's, their screeches of pain echoing around the cave upon being struck by the electricity, as they dropped to the ground in defeat. Raiden roared his pleasure at being able to take down the Zubat's in one hit, the super effective move grounding the bats as they lay fainted on the ground in a mound before him, as a bright white glow took over his form. Willow looked on in shock as her Pokemon was enveloped in the white light, Raiden's form lengthening as a tufty mane grew around his neck and face, absently taking out her Pokedex and scanning her Pokemon.

"Luxio, the Spark Pokemon. You're now a level 17 and you learnt the move bite," Willow stated, looking up from the electronic device to see her newly evolved Pokemon smirking at the glaring Riolu at her side. Rolling her eyes at the smugness Raiden was showing, Willow patted Levi's head after noticing a familiar glow beginning to form in his palm. "Don't worry; I'm sure you'll be next." Willow soothed, receiving an affectionate bark for the previously sullen jackal.

After the excitement of the unexpected evolution died down, Willow commanded her Pokemon to continue training, sending Levi to practice using his force palm on any Geodude he found; whilst Raiden was tasked with getting used to his now larger body after Willow noticed the feline struggling to move as swiftly. After spending a few hours in the cave working on tactics that would be useful for the gym battle, both of Willow's Pokemon were justifiably exhausted, and slowly trudged after their master as they made their way towards the red roofed Pokecentre.

"Welcome to the Pokecentre, how may I help you?" Inquired the nurse at the front desk, not phased by the dust covered girl, used to seeing trainers covered in the substance after travelling through the cave.

"Please may I have a room for the night, and my Pokemon checked over please?" Willow responded politely, her tone in contrast to the blank look on her face.

Upon receiving an affirmative from the Nurse, Willow gestured for her Pokemon to follow the waiting Chansey, smiling slightly at their obvious reluctance to leave her. Taking the key card off the smiling nurse, Willow turned and headed towards the currently empty seating area placed in the right hand corner of the Pokecentre's lobby, taking the incubator housing her egg out of her back pack and placing it on her lap, and began rubbing it with a cloth, a soft smile appearing at the slight tremors she felt from the egg. Thankfully it only took half an hour for her Pokemon to be treated, her partners running over to her as soon as they were released by Nurse Joy, Levi barking questioningly up at his master, releasing a sigh of relief upon seeing her soft smile. The trio headed up to their room, Willow placing her egg on the bed gently before turning to her dusty Pokemon with a stern look.

"Bath time." Willow stated narrowing her eyes at the dismayed hiss she received from Raiden, her lips twitching as the Luxio fell silent immediately.

A tiring hour later, both of Willow's Pokemon were clean and smelling faintly of razz berries, their fur combed and silky from the conditioner their master had worked through their pelts. Willow herself had taken a quick shower as her Pokemon were distracted by an episode of Sinnoh Now, thankful to have a moment alone as she reflected on her journey so far, no matter how short. Exiting the now steamy bathroom wrapped in a towel, Willow sighed at the sight of her wrestling Pokemon and the mess they'd made of the previously neat bedsheets. Ignoring the two of them, Willow slowly got dressed, flexing her sore feet as she pulled on a soft pair of new socks sighing in relief at their coolness. Checking her Pokegear for the time, Willow frowned at the missed calls from her brother; huffing at the frantic voicemail she received asking her to call him as soon as possible. Turning off the TV, Willow picked up her egg and back pack and walked towards the door, gesturing for her Pokemon to follow her as she headed down to the room where video phones were located. Taking a seat at a desk in the corner, Willow dialed in her brother's number, rubbing the egg in her lap as she waited for the call to connect.

"Willow, it's good to know you're safe!" Lance shouted upon seeing his sister was the one phoning him, sighing in relief.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Willow asked, furrowing her brows in confusion at her brother's worry, she only saw him yesterday.

"You didn't answer your Pokegear this morning, I was worried."

"It was on silent, I didn't think you be calling me so quickly." Willow replied, attempting to soothe her still frazzled brother. "Why did you call me?"

"I was wondering how your first day went," Lance responded sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head as his sister's fierce glare was directed at him.

"You called me eight times to know how my first day went." Willow asked sceptically, narrowing her eyes at her sheepish looking brother.

"Well I called the first time to ask about that, but then I got worried when you didn't answer and might've called you a few more times." Lance admitted with a blush, smiling softly as his sister began to tell him about the new Pokemon she had caught and the battles they had won, the blank look fading away as a smile took over her face.

An hour later and many promises that she'd call him once she reached Floaroma City, Willow finally said good bye to her brother, her smile melting away into her usual blank façade. Heading back into the main lobby, Willow continued out into the sooty streets of Oreburgh, heading towards the gym. A narrow building made out of stone that advertised itself as the cities gym loomed above Willow as she read the notice taped to front door, 'Gym Leader currently busy, battles will resume on Thursday." Willow frowned; it was Tuesday today, that meant she had a two day wait until she could challenge the gym leader. With a sigh Willow headed towards route 207, if the gym leader was going to make her wait for a battle she'd make sure to use the time effectively with some training.

* * *

Entering the gym with Levi by her side on Thursday morning, Willow was ready to defeat Roark and get out of the dusty city, completely fed up with the soot that seemed to cling to her clothes and Pokemon as soon as she exited the Pokecentre every morning. The last few days have been profitable; a few tactics for the upcoming battle had been learnt along with the addition of new moves for her Pokemon. Willow stopped slightly upon realising the gym leader was already in a battle with a familiar messy haired teen and blinking stoically as the teen lost a few minutes later. Walking past a purple headed boy who exited the gym after Ash's defeat, Willow walked towards the duo ignoring the sullen Ash in favour of the gym leader.

"Am I still able to have a battle today?" Willow inquired her face blank despite the friendly smile Ash directed towards her.

"Sure, are you ready now?" Roark replied smiling, his smile faltering slightly as the girl walked away to stand in the challengers box. "Okay then…" Roark quickly moved over to the opposing side, gesturing for the referee to begin the match.

"The Oreburgh City gym battle between Roark and the challenger will now begin. The battle will be three on three and as soon as all three Pokemon on either side are unable to continue the challenge is over. In addition, only the challenger may substitute Pokemon. Now let the battle begin!" the referee shouted, signalling both trainers to send out their Pokemon.

"Geodude, let's go!"

A small boulder like Pokemon appeared on the field, shouting its name upon release, swinging its powerful arms around wildly. Willow stared at the Pokemon in front of her, looking down at Levi beside her before signalling that he should join the rock type on the field.

"Geodude, use hidden power!"

Geodude's body began to be outlined in yellow as it pulled its arms towards its body, light blue circles appearing in the air around it.

"Levi, take the hit."

The Riolu in question stayed still as the blue orbs flew towards him, the impact sending him sliding back a few feet. Up in the stands Dawn frowned as she recognised the strategy from the girls battle with Ash a few days ago, using a Pokémon's pain to increase its power wasn't right in her opinion.

"Counter cat."

Levi began running towards the Geodude at his master's command, a green orb forming between his palms growing in intensity before turning pure white.

"Stop it with roll out!"

Geodude tucked himself into a ball before launching himself at the incoming Riolu, who flipped over the rock Pokemon releasing the orb at the Geodude's back, the explosion sending the rock type into the gym wall, embedding it a few inches deep. Up in the stands Ash gaped at Willow and her Pokemon, his friends following suit as they watched Roark return his defeated Pokemon.

"Her Riolu has increased in power so much since we saw her last," Dawn stated, hugging her Piplup to her chest as Roark's next Pokemon Onix was sent out against Riolu, seeing the Pokemon begin to trade blows.

"I wonder how she's training her Pokemon; it would be interesting to know how she develops their power." Brock mused, wondering if it was a particular method he could apply on his own Pokemon to further his breeder career.

"I don't know, but I know I want to battle her again!" Ash shouted cheering as Roark's Onix went down with a powerful force palm from the rapid Riolu who had dodged the Onix's flailing tail to land the attack.

"Think you can take down my next Pokemon as easily as the last? Think again, Cranidos let's go!"

A grey dinosaur Pokemon appeared on the battlefield with a loud battle cry, stomping its hind legs in preparation of the battle. Roark sweat drop as the only reaction he received from the stoic pinkette was a slow blink.

"Levi, prepare."

A blue glow encased Levi's fist, as he bent his head in concentration, the black extensions on his head twitching wildly.

Roark scoffed at the response, "Cranidos, teach that girl some manners! Use zen head butt!"

The rock dinosaur roared as the blue patch on its forehead glowed a bright blue as it charged towards the motionless Riolu, its footsteps thundering in the silent gym.

"Levi, Focus punch!"

At his master's command, Levi's eyes snapped open as his fist connected with the dinosaur's head, a loud crack sounded as the two forces met, an explosion of dirt spraying up around the two Pokemon, concealing them from view. The next few seconds seemed unbearably long to Roark who strained his eyes in an attempt to see his Pokemon through the dust, a gasp pulling itself from his throat, the sound echoed from the stands as the result was revealed as the dust settled. Cranidos lay on the ground defeated, his grey body scratched and bloody and the small form of Riolu standing a few steps away, mainly unaffected apart from seeming slightly winded.

"All three of Roark's Pokemon are unable to battle, victory goes to the challenger." The referee stuttered, shocked at the gym leaders strongest Pokemon being defeated in one move.

Roark returned his Pokemon silently, walking over to the female trainer and her Riolu, his face still displaying his shock at the result of the match.

"Good boy Levi," Willow praised, scratching the jackals head with a soft smile at his pleased rumbles, proud of her partner.

"This is beyond embarrassing," Roark stated, a heavy blush evident on his face at the unimpressed look on the females face. "I don't even know the name of the challenger who defeated me."

"Willow."

"Ah well Willow, congratulations, here's your badge." Roark congratulated, handing the short pinkette the coal badge, flinching slightly at the Riolu's growl due his proximity to his master. Backing up a few steps, Roark continued. "If I may ask, how does your Riolu know focus punch? You really threw me for a loop with that."

"My elder brother had his Charizard teach it to Levi before I left on my journey so he'd be able to protect me better." Willow explained an uncomfortable look on her face as Ash and his friends joined them, taking a few steps backward away from the group, Levi swiftly moving in front of his owner.

"Well you can thank your older brother for you win," Roark joked, his form freezing as the girls expression changed from the blank state to a frigid glare.

"I can thank Levi for the win, my brother had nothing to do with it, don't take the praise away from my Pokemon." Willow replied sharply, her eyes piercing as she stared at the gym leader.

Turning away from the gym leader and Ash's group, Willow walked away from them, her form stiff in anger as she ignored the stuttered apologies from the gym leader. Levi hesitated before following his master, his eyes narrowing into slits as he stared up at the gym leader who angered his master, baring his teeth slightly before darting after her. Roark sighed, turning to look at the shocked trio next to him.

"Well that went well."

Willow sat stiffly in the seating area of the Pokecentre as she waited for her Pokemon to be healed, her egg cradled in her arms for comfort. The electric hum of the doors opening attracted her attention, causing her to look up as a familiar purple headed teenager walked by and handed over his Pokemon to the nurse before joining Willow in the waiting area. Willow kept a wary eye on the boy a few chairs away, noticing him looking at her egg in interest.

"I've never seen an egg that big before," the boy stated, leaning closer to have a better look at the markings on the larger than average egg, ignoring the look of alarm on the girls face. What Paul couldn't ignore was the jaws of a snarling Luxio snapping towards his face as it landed in-between him and the girl, and the small blue jackal growling next to the pinkette, nor the look of relief that flashed on the girls face before it settled into blankness. Paul was intrigued; was the protectiveness of her Pokemon backed up by strength or was it all bravado? "My names Paul and I challenge you to a battle." Paul declared, smirking towards the snarling Pokemon in front of him.

Willow nodded in response, sighing as she didn't really want to but it would be good to burn off some frustration before heading to Floaroma town. Standing up and walking towards where the battlefield was located at all Pokecentre's Willow hugged her egg for comfort whilst she waited for the boy to join her after receiving his own Pokemon from the nurse.

"We don't need a referee; a one on one battle will suffice, as it won't take long to defeat you." Paul stated smirking slightly, confident in his ability to win the battle after defeating the gym leader earlier that day. Upon receiving a nod from the stoic girl, Paul released his first Pokemon.

"Chimchar, stand by for battle!"

A small orange primate Pokemon was released, a flame burning brightly in place of a tail, and two sharp canines peeking out fromits upper jaw. Willow stared at Paul's Pokemon as it send a slightly afraid look towards its owner before moving further on to the battle field, the girl frowned at the obviously strained relationship between Pokemon and master she saw, her frustration reaching a new height.

"Levi," Willow gestured for her partner to join the field, her face returning to a blank state as she stared at the over confident trainer opposite her. "Show no mercy." Levi barked in response, sensing his master had no patience for a long battle.

Paul scoffed before commanding his Pokemon, "Chimchar, Dig and then ember!" The orange monkey dove into the ground beneath it, disappearing quickly from sight.

"Levi, locate and double force palm." Willow commanded, rubbing her hand over the egg still in her grasp as Raiden butted his head against her hip in comfort.

Levi closed his eyes in concentration, an iridescent gleam taking over his body before his eyes snapped open and he jumped backwards, dodging the sudden ember aimed at his face. Growling Levi darted towards the Chimchar, dodging the bolts of fire headed towards him, closing in on the primate Pokemon as both his paws shone brightly.

"Chimchar use scratch to block it!" Paul commanded quickly, as the rapid jackal came close to his Pokemon.

Ducking under the swipe of Chimchar's sharp claws, Levi placed both his paws on the monkey's belly, releasing the stored power, sending the Chimchar flying back to land in front of its trainer, unable to battle. Levi howled in pleasure, a familiar bright white glow encasing him as he grew taller and wider as spikes formed on his paws and chest, a creamy coloured patch of fur appearing on his chest. Upon looking down at his new form, Levi growled happily, turning to look at the pleased smile on his master's face. Paul scoffed at the Lucario's dramatic display, returning his Chimchar and walking away from the girl who watched him leave in silence, her brows furrowed as she watched him disappear from sight.

Turning to her newly evolved Pokemon Willow smiled softly, taking out her Pokedex to study the changes that occurred upon evolution. The pinkette pursed her lips at the changes that occurred upon her partner's evolution, her lips twitching upwards at the thought of all the new strategies that could form from his new moves, her eyes shining in glee. Levi grumbled deeply, rubbing his now elongated snout against his master's head, his new height exceeding hers slightly, resting against her as Raiden leant on her leg. The trio stood there in silence, simply enjoying the mutual happiness they shared between one another.

* * *

A week later Willow arrived in Floaroma town, smiling softly at the strong scent of flowers that permeated the air of the picturesque town. The delicate fragrance was a welcome respite to the pungent sweaty smell that had occupied Willow and her Pokemon for the past week and as such the Pokecentre was a definite the team's first priority. Willow let out a relieved breath at the cool air inside the Pokecentre, ignoring the strange looks from other trainers due to her smell, her lips twitching as they quickly looked away as Levi's fierce glare settled upon them. Since his evolution the Lucario had increased his protective tendencies, a fact that she was secretly grateful for after an angry hiker had stormed towards her after his defeat, demanding a rematch. The hiker was quickly deflected by a force palm to his overly large belly, but despite this the incident had shaken Willow and had made the teen recede a bit further into her shell.

"Welcome to the Pokecentre, how may I help you today?" The perky Nurse Joy asked, repeating the mantra echoed by all Nurse Joys.

"I would like a room for the night and could you please check my egg? It's been twitching so much recently." Willow asked, adjusting her grip on the incubator in her arms as the egg in question rattled fiercely.

Nurse Joy nodded, grabbing a key from behind the desk and passed it to the pinkette and gestured for the girl to follow her into an examination room. Taking the incubator off Willow, Nurse Joy lifted the egg out, shrugging her shoulders at the slightly larger than normal size and began placing sensors on the egg. The sensors hooked up to a machine that showcased similar lines to a heart rate monitor, the result being a line that spiked and dipped sporadically. Upon seeing the readings, Nurse Joy nodded with a slight smile, and began taking the sensors off, placing the egg back into the incubator before handing it back to the girl.

"The results shown on the egg sequencer and the sounds coming from the egg itself indicate the egg will probably hatch later on today or at the latest tomorrow morning." Nurse Joy informed her face lighting up at the soft smile that appeared on the previously stoic girl as she stared down at the egg in her grasp.

Willow thanked the nurse before walking towards her allocated room, entering quickly and placing her egg on the side table. Levi barked happily upon entering the cool room, halting from jumping on the clean bed with his sweaty body due to a fierce glare from his master, silently agreeing to wait until he'd been cleaned himself before resuming his ritual. Stripping quickly, making sure to fling her sweaty clothes towards the door as a reminder that they needed to be washed, Willow entered the bathroom. Exiting 10 minutes later in a puff of razz berry scented steam and a short towel, Willow sighed in relief at the squeaky clean feeling she now possessed, and gestured for Levi to use the shower, releasing Raiden to join the jackal. Smirking at the agitated sounds escaping the bathroom as Raiden figured out that Levi would be the one washing him as Willow hadn't entered in after them, and chuckled as a sharp bark from Levi ended the lion's complaints. Pulling out her Pokegear, Willow dialled in her brother's number, adjusting her towel slightly as his face flashed up on the small screen.

"Willow, it's good to see you little sis!" Lance exclaimed smiling, before an angry look formed at noticing his sister's state of dress. "Are you naked?"

"I just got out of the shower why?"

"Just making sure you hadn't found a boyfriend since the last time we talked." Lance chuckled sheepishly, wincing at the fierce glare directed at him from his sister, her gold eyes piercing his own.

"Nice to know you think so much of me."

"No no, it's just that you're 16 now and Karen told me that you've grown into a pretty girl and I worry…." Lance replied sweat dropping as his explanation seemed to infuriate his sister more and hurried to change the topic. "Anyway I'm currently in Sinnoh so maybe we can meet up in a week or so?"

"Champion business?" Willow inquired, brows furrowing in thought as to why her brother would be called to Sinnoh, there were no official ceremonies or battles organised that she knew of.

"I'm currently in Sunyshore City; I'm letting Dragonite have a rest before I head to the Pokemon league to speak to the Champion. They're having a few problems with a group calling themselves Team Galactic, and Cynthia has asked for my opinion regarding the matter and whether they might be connected to Team Rocket." Lance explained as both siblings rolled their eyes at the mention of Team Rocket, whilst Willow had been tucked away safely at the Indigo Plateau during their period of activity, their actions were still widely known and ridiculed to this day.

"Well I'm currently in Floaroma Town, but my egg is close to hatching so I'll probably stay here a few days to spend some time getting to know the Pokemon when it hatches." Willow stated before looking up at entrance of her clean Pokemon, smirking at the smug looking Levi and the sullen electric type.

The siblings spent an hour catching up, Willow recounting her gym battle to her brother, who in turn told her about a recent challenger who had been distracted by Karen's beauty and as such lost the battle. After saying goodbye Willow took the time to get dressed in her spare outfit which consisted of stretchy black jeans and an oversized hoodie that previously belonged to Lance, the clothing still retaining his scent of smoke and sea breeze. Picking up her egg and asking Levi to carry her dirty clothes, Willow and her Pokemon headed downstairs to the laundry room, a spacious room filled with washing machines that sealed with a lock so trainers could leave their washing unattended if needed. After sorting her clothes out and locking the machine, Willow left the room her Pokemon in tow, Levi and Raiden flanking their master upon seeing the commotion currently occurring in the lobby. An old woman who held a crying child in her arms was asking trainers for their assistance, becoming frantic when the trainers refused her and walked out of the Pokecentre laughing. Frowning at the other trainers actions, Willow walked up to the woman stopping a few steps away.

"What's the problem?" Willow inquired, leaning against Levi's shoulder for comfort as the woman swung round to look at her.

"My sons been taken by some thugs in the Windworks, he's been locked in with those hooligans!" the woman ranted, pausing to look at the strong Pokemon next to the short girl, raising an eyebrow at her form resting against the Lucario as a Luxio watched her with narrow eyes. "You look like a powerful trainer, can you please help me?"

Willow considered the request, thugs wouldn't be much of a problem, however they could be connected with Team Galactic and Willow wasn't sure if she wanted to be involved with that kind of craziness. The sight of inconsolable child in the old woman's arms sealed the deal for Willow, her tear marked face bringing back memories Willow didn't want to acknowledge. Nodding in agreement, Willow's face stayed blank as the elder woman thanked her profusely and followed her out of the centre towards the beginning of route 205, the sight of the large Windworks factory visible about a mile away.

"That building in the distance is the Valley Windworks, its where my son works and is currently being held. My granddaughter was on her way to visit her father when she witnessed some men in grey suits guarding the doors. Please, I don't have any money to give you but please save my son." The elderly woman pleaded turning to the girl who was a few steps away, and her Pokemon who hovered around their master. A nod from the emotionless girl was the only response she received before the pinkette walked off towards the building, her Pokemon moving to defensive positions around the girl, the Lucario in front as the Luxio stayed slightly behind.

The Valley Windworks loomed above Willow and her Pokemon as they approached the tall building surrounded by large windmills. The trip had been quick, Willow spraying herself and her Pokemon with a repel after a low level Starly tried it's luck against the trio, the bird Pokemon becoming a quick snack for the hungry Pokemon as Willow looked on stoically. Walking towards the door which was currently unguarded, the pinkette tried the handle and upon discovering it being locked backed up a few steps as Levi knocked the door down with a force palm and entered despite the surprised squawks she heard from inside. The sight that met Willow when she entered the building was one she wasn't expecting, five people clad in outfits similar to spacesuits were stood over man tied to a chair, their faces a look of shock as they looked at the door implanted in the wall next to their heads, knowing if the door had been placed a few inches to the left all of them would be badly injured if not dead.

"Who the fuck are you?" A short red haired woman shouted, grasping a Pokeball in a manicured hand as she stared at the small pinkette flanked by two Pokemon.

Instead of responding Willow looked to the man on the floor, her face twisting minutely at the wet patch on his crotch and the faint smell of urine in the air. Nodding at the scene in front of her Willow commanded her Pokemon to get ready, the leaping forward instantly at the prompt, snarls taking over their faces. The Team Galactic grunts snorted, releasing their Pokemon, a mixture of Glameow and bug Pokemon, whilst the red haired woman released a fat cat Pokemon and a Zubat, all of the Pokemon obviously low level. Whilst a silent old man, dressed in a lab coat over the space suit stayed still, watching the encounter with shrewd eyes.

"Levi, Raiden let's make this quick." Willow commanded and watched as her partners made quick work of the oppositions Pokemon, the battle ending with a few well-placed sparks and bone rushes. Rolling her eyes at the weakness of their Pokemon, Willow stepped aside to let the Galactic members escape, ignoring the red headed woman's promise of redemption.

"Thank you so much!" The man exclaimed once seeing the grunts leave the Windworks, starry eyed as he looked at the pretty pinkette in front of him and her strong Pokemon.

Willow nodded in response, gesturing for Raiden to release the man, the lion Pokemon screwing his face up as the smell of urine intensified the closer he got before cutting the bonds tying the man to the chair with a scratch. Willow turned away from the man and walked out of the building, ignoring the man's pleas for her to slow down as he attempted to keep up with her fast pace and his attempts at conversation that stopped once Levi snapped at him. Waiting where she left them were the elderly woman and the young girl, Willow staying back as the family reconnected, her lips twitching slightly at the young girls demands for her father to take a shower and the mans red face. The father and daughter duo walked off, leaving the older woman to stare at Willow who looked back blankly.

"Thank you for what you did, he'd been there for a few days and despite asking multiple trainers no one agreed to help." The elderly woman thanked, simply receiving a nod in response. "I own the flower shop in town, and whilst I don't have any money to offer you please accept my offer of using the meadow. It's usually not available to trainers who visit from out of town, but you're welcome to use it for relaxation."

Willow considered the offer and looked down at the egg in her arms that had been twitching even more violently in the past hour before accepting the elderly woman's offer, following her to a gate hidden behind a tall cedar tree. The sight of the meadow took away the stoic girls breath, multiple varieties of flowers mixed together in a disorganised cluster as far as the eye could see, the sun shining down strongly as Combee's worked hard to gather pollen from the bright coloured chaos. The elderly woman smiled at the girls response, the look of awe echoed on her own weathered face despite visiting the meadow daily.

"I ask you not use the Combee for practice as they work for my Vespiqueen and wouldn't be very happy at the interruption to their task." The older woman implored, receiving a nod from the distracted pinkette before leaving the girl and her Pokemon to enjoy the meadow.

Willow and her Pokemon walked further into the meadow, the wildflowers reaching up to the girl's hip whilst their pleasing scent enveloped the trio. Reaching a slightly less dense part, Willow sat down and gestured for her Pokemon to relax, rolling her eyes as Raiden took off to try and catch a Butterfree a few feet away. Levi sat down next to his master, closing his eyes as he focussed his aura, the jackal Pokemon committed to having complete control over the unique ability. Willow herself sat cross legged with the twitching egg placed on the ground in from of her, rubbing her hand over the warmth that had increased slightly over the past hour, the hard shell hot to touch.

A crack formed under her palm, the girl's eyes widening in response to bright light that took over the egg, blinding her from seeing the Pokemon as it emerged.


End file.
